Cool Careers - Episode 25_ Family Medicine Doctor

Oh, hi. I'm Journey. I'm at Citizens Health in Colby, Kansas to see for myself what it's like to be a doctor working in family medicine. Doctors who work in family medicine take care of people of all ages from birth through the end of our lives. Oh, by the way, don't worry. This isn't a real baby. They don't let just anyone in here. What were you thinking? Family medicine doctors treat the most common forms of illness and injury, from pink eye to sprained ankles. If their patient needs specialized care they can't provide, then they refer them to a doctor with that training. Those doctors, they're called specialists. Today, we're going to meet a doctor who lives and works here in Colby. We're going to learn about her job and why we need more people to become family medicine physicians in rural Kansas. Let's go. I'd like you all to meet Dr. She's a family medicine physician who works here in Colby. Hello. Journey, would you like to step into my office and we could get to know each other? Yes, please. I've got about a million questions for you. Great. Come with me. I was excited to hear that you wanted to learn more about what I do. That's great because I've got a lot of questions. So what does a family medicine physician do? That's a great question. Family medicine physicians provide health care for people of all ages. That means I care for the health of babies before they're born, clear through people nearing the end of their lives. Practicing medicine in a small town like Colby means I really get to know my patients and their entire families and I learn all about whatever health conditions they are dealing with and how to help them. It's super rewarding. One part of my career that I wasn't anticipating has to do with where I am practicing. Not many hospitals in western Kansas deliver babies anymore because not many doctors in the area have specialized training to be an obstetrician, which is a specialist that takes care of women through pregnancy and childbirth. Family medicine doctors are trained to take care of normal, healthy pregnancies. This means I take care of a lot of pregnant mothers and deliver a lot of babies for families living throughout this entire area. I might take care of the baby even when they grow to your age and older, including the siblings and parents. I build a strong relationship with the entire family. I bet you do. That's awesome that you get to know your patients so well. Yes, I have delivered so many babies over the past eight years. When my son went to preschool, I realized I had delivered so many in his class. So Journey, would you like a chance to examine a patient with me? I have a mom coming in for a checkup. Really? That would be so cool. Great. I'll be there with you every step of the way. But first, let's get you some scrubs so you look the part. All right, let's do it. Dr. Nichols taught and brought me into an exam room to check on a mom who's about 28 weeks pregnant. Doing good. This is Journey. Hi, Journey. Nice to meet you. She's shadowing me today, if that's okay with you. We measured her belly and used a doppler and an ultrasound machine to check on the baby's heartbeat. So I'll let you hold. This is a doppler, okay? And you're able to listen to baby's heartbeat with this doppler, okay? And then just go ahead and listen. Just put it right on there. You got it. And you can push down harder. And then the number will show up on here. 147. Six, just a little bit between six and seven. Good. And there's variations in baby's heartbeat. That's very normal. Anywhere from 110 to 160 is very normal. Then we went to the hospital and I got to meet a mom in labor. Dr. Nichols taught and showed me how they monitor the baby's heartbeat and the mom's contractions. We used an ultrasound machine in the labor and delivery center to check that the head was in the right position. So yeah, that's the hand. Yep. And that makes the nose. That's like the face and the mouth. The lips, if you go up. That's the hand. I learned a lot of things about what Dr. Nichols taught and does. I didn't know babies moved around that much before they were born. Yes, babies inside of their moms are just like younger forms of babies that you see in the world today. Okay, so I know doctors go through like a lot of school. What would I have to do to become a family medicine doctor? Well, a lot might be an understatement. So I attended Sterling College. I was there four years. I majored in biology and chemistry and that gave me a good foundation for what I needed to know when I got to medical school at the University of Kansas Medical Center. I went to school for two years in Kansas City and then for two years on the Wichita campus. So it took me four years to get my bachelor's degree and then four years to do medical school. But we're not done yet. What? Doctors go to residency where they start working and learn more in their area of specialty. For me, that meant working in Celina at a family medicine practice for three years. Oh wow, that's 11 years. That's almost as long as kids are in school from kindergarten through high school. Yes, it takes a long time to learn about how the human body works, the ways that it gets sick and hurt, but you definitely want your doctor to be well educated. So how much does it cost to go for school that long? I know my mom's always telling me I should save up for college because of how expensive it is. Yes, college and med school are expensive. Luckily, the need for doctors, especially in rural areas, is so great that there are a lot of programs to help such as the Kansas Medical Student Loan Repayment Program that erases student loan debt for doctors who practice in rural Kansas for four years after they complete their residency. That's a great way to help new doctors pay off their student loans and get new doctors started working in rural areas of the state. And although you may not understand this now, these programs can be a huge financial relief, especially when you have your own medical needs like having a baby. So what can kids like me do to start preparing for a career like yours? There's a lot of things that kids can do. The first thing I always recommend is learning how to take on hard challenges and develop the determination to finish them. At school, you must learn to study hard and make good grades so you can be successful in college and medical school. Math and science are important to what we do, but so are communications and skills like being a good listener and working with other people. I also recommend that you try to job shadow different workers in a health care environment. And of course, if you can work as a CNA in a hospital or senior living center once you're 16, I think that's the best way to see if health care is the right path for you. I think I just got to do the greatest job shadow ever. I can't believe I saw her baby before I was even born. So is there a reason why there's such a shortage of doctors in rural areas? Well, that's a great question, Journey. For some people who didn't grow up in this environment, it's just not what they're used to. I personally love it, but some people do miss the excitement and action of city life. That makes sense. Sometimes it's like there's more cows living here than actual people. So is there any other reasons why there's such a shortage of doctors here in rural Kansas? Yeah, sometimes it's harder to get away for personal reasons. If I want to go on a vacation or just spend time with my family, I have to find another doctor to cover for me. Another challenge is that sometimes I need the expertise of someone else to help me with the patient. And when no one with those special skills works near us here in Colby, we either consult with that expert via technology or I have to send my patients to another town to seek care. If a patient is really sick or injured, I may need to send them as quickly as possible by ambulance or even by a plane or helicopter. That might mean sending them to Hays, Wichita, or even Denver, Colorado. It can be hard on families to have to travel far away when their loved one needs care, especially in an emergency. It's an honor to be able to take care of my patients, no matter what the circumstances. Well, I'm honored you took time out of your day to meet with me and our viewers on what it's like to be a family medicine physician. You do so many cool things and you must feel proud every day that you can care for the people in your community. Thank you to Dr. Nichols-Taunton and everyone I met here at Citizens Health. I know I've learned a lot about what doctors do to take care of us, even before we're born. Learn about this and other high-demand careers at higherpaths.com. Until next time, this is Journey signing off in Colby for our cool careers. Have a great day! Shake it off. My mom always tells me to save her up so we're prepared to pay for college. Sorry!